The present invention relates to an apparatus for making cotton candy and, more particularly, to an apparatus for making cotton candy at home.
The basic structure of a conventional cotton candy making machine will be described below. The machine includes a hollow rotary member rotated by an electric motor and having a sugar supply port at the center of the rotary member, and a heating means for heating and melting sugar supplied to the rotary member through the sugar, supply port. Molten sugar in the rotary member is guided toward the peripheral wall of they rotary member by a centrifugal force upon its rotation. Apertures are formed on the peripheral wall of the rotary member so that molten sugar is spinned therethrough, thus obtaining a fibrous candy.
The cotton candy making machine also includes a fan for producing an upward air flow around the rotary member. The air flow from the fan causes outward dispersion of the fibrous candy obtained by spinning the molten sugar through the apertures, along the radial direction of the rotary member, thereby obtaining a good fibrous state. The fibrous candy is stuck around a stick to prepare cotton candy.
In the conventional cotton candy making machine, the air flow from the fan cools the rotary member itself. In order to cause the heater means to sufficiently heat and melt sugar supplied to the rotary member, the heating means has a high power. The power consumption of the heater means is increased, and it takes a long period of time to heat the rotary member to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the conventional cotton candy making machine is not suitable for use at home.
The air stream from the fan is partially deflected. by the rotary member at random, and the random deflection causes turbulence of the air flow in the atmosphere around the rotary member. The fibrous candy produced by spinning molten sugar through the apertures of the rotary member is disturbed accordingly and dispersed at random along the radial direction of the rotary member. As a result, a good fibrous candy cannot be sufficiently obtained, and it is difficult to make a soft, smooth cotton candy.
Furthermore, since molten sugar spun through the apertures of the rotary member consists of relatively large particles, effective dispersion of the particles by the air flow cannot be performed. This also makes it difficult to make a soft, smooth cotton candy. Demand has thus arisen for providing a new and improved rotary member capable of making a cotton candy of high quality.